Hong Kong Disneyland opens two shops at the Hong Kong International Airport to sell thousands of souvenirs with the theme of Hong Kong Disneyland (which is scheduled to open September 12).

1907:

Writer Helen Aberson is born in Syracuse, New York. Her book

"Dumbo, the Flying Elephant" (co-written with journalist Harold

Pearl) inspired the 1941 Disney classic Dumbo.

1934:

The Mickey Mouse short Mickey's Steam Roller, directed by David Hand, is released. While worker Mickey romances Minnie, Mickey's nephews Morty and Ferdy take his steamroller on a very destructive ride. Walt Disney & Marcellite Garner provide the voices for Mickey & Minnie.

1945:

Walt Disney's wife Lillian christens the SS Rice Victory,

a 10,500-ton U.S. warship.

1955:

Disney's 15th animated feature film Lady and the Tramp has its

world premiere in Chicago. It is the first Disney cartoon feature filmed in CinemaScope (a wide screen film process). It will be generally released 6 days later.

Disney also releases the third People and Places film Switzerland.

Actress Laurie Metcalf - the voice of Lucille Krunklehorn in Meet the Robinsons, Andy's Mom in all three Toy Story films and Sarah in Treasure Planet - is born Carbondale, Illinois. (TV fans may remember Metcalf for her role of Jackie on the sitcom Roseanne.)

1956:

Disneyland debuts Tom Sawyer Island & the Rafts to Tom Sawyer

Island in Frontierland, the film 3D Jamboree at the Mickey Mouse Club

Theater, and the Storybook Land Canal Boats attraction in Fantasyland.

Tom Sawyer Island (today known as Pirate's Lair on Tom Sawyer Island) is an artificial island surrounded by the

Rivers of America and inspired by the works of Mark Twain. Guests visit the island by traveling on a motorized raft

which is piloted by a Disneyland Cast Member.

The short 3D Jamboree features the famous Mouseketeers and their leader Jimmy Dodd. The presentation

includes the animated shorts Melody and Working for Peanuts all in 3D.

Storybook Land Canal Boats (originally known as Canal Boats of the World in 1955) features 13 boats(powered

by outboard motors) afloat in 465,000 gallons of water.

1961:

Walt Disney purchases the film rights to the Winnie-the-Pooh stories from Mrs.

Daphne Milne, wife of the late author A.A. Milne. (The first film, Winnie the

Pooh and the Honey Tree, will appear in 1966 as a twenty-six minute short.)

1964:

Aerial photographs of a location east of the Hollywood Bowl in California are shot for Walt Disney. He is forming the new CalArts college and a plot of land has been suggested for the campus.

1977:

Circus performer and actor Ricky Luna, a member of the Disney Channel's The All

Fantasia/2000 (the sequel to the 1940 Disney classic) opens at regular movie

theaters nationwide. The film was first screened in 75 IMAX cinemas worldwide from January 1 to April

30, 2000.

2002:

Father's Day

The premiere screening of Disney's 41st animated feature Lilo

& Stitch takes place at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood.

Among the guests in attendance for the event are actors Jason Scott Lee (the voice of David Kawena), David Ogden Stiers (the voice of Jumba), Kevin McDonald (the voice of Pleakley), and country singer Wynonna Judd (who performs the Elvis Presley song "Burning Love" on the film's soundtrack).

The Pyewacket (a vessel owned by the Disney Corporation and skippered by Roy Disney) wins the Newport to Bermuda Yacht race. The yacht breaks the record by 3 hours, 52 minutes, and 22 seconds; crossing in 53 hours, 39 minutes, and 22 seconds.

2004:

Around the World in 80 Days

(a Walt Disney Pictures/Walden Media film) is released

in theaters. It is a remake of the classic 1956 film.

1980:

Count Basie and his orchestra perform at Disneyland for the first of a six-day engagement.

A grand opening for the new Disneyland Innoventions Dream Home takes place for members of the press. The Innoventions Dream Home, featuring cutting-edge technology from Microsoft and other industry leaders, is both a show and a showcase as it offers guests a hands-on experience. (Annual passholders will be allowed to visit the following day - but the attraction won't fully open to the public until June 30.)

Disney Channel debuts "Allergy Season," the 50th episode of the series

Life with Derek.

1957:

Holidayland, a nine-acre grassy picnic ground located along the western edge of Disneyland, opens. It has its own admission gate into the park and can hold up to 7,000 guests, for large events. Run by Milt Albright, Holidayland's manager (and future Disney Legend), it features playgrounds, horseshoes, a baseball field, a volleyball court, and "the world's largest candy-striped circus tent." (Today, Holidayland is a parking lot for employees.)

1984:

The 3D film Magic Journeys begins its 2-year run in Disneyland's Tomorrowland. The first 3D movie created by Walt Disney Imagineering for a Disney theme park, it first opened at EPCOT in 1982. Featuring the song "Makin' Memories," the 70MM Magic Journeys looks at the world through the eyes of a child.

Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment releases Morning Light, a documentary about a group of intrepid and determined young men and women who race a high-performance 52-foot sloop in the TRANSPAC, the most revered of open-ocean sailing competitions.

1962:

Meet Me at Disneyland (a limited TV series broadcast live on KTTV directly from the Anaheim park) airs episode 2 "Plaza Gardens." Johnny Jacobs opens the show at the Plaza Gardens where the Elliott Brothers and their "Disneyland Date Nighters" are warming up. The Elliott Brothers are starting their sixth year at the Plaza Gardens, and they lead the group in a number of swing songs. The show also includes comedy, impersonations, dance performances and appearances by Janet Leigh, Elliott Reid,

Sandy Di Shell, and The Four Preps. Meet Me at Disneyland is designed to boost park attendance during

the summer weeknights.

1967:

Disneyland Grad Nite '67 takes place for the second time this season.

1966:

Disneyland Grad Nite '66 is held for the first of two evenings, from 11PM til 5AM.